M.A. Monticelli Barolo 2017
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The M.A. Monticelli Barolo offers seductive aromas of wild berry, red cherry and
raspberry compote followed by hints of dried rose petals, forest brush, tobacco,
wood and spice. The palate is soft, supple and framed with beautifully structured
tannins. This Barolo exhibits balanced acidity and gorgeous finesse. This wine
benefits from decanting and continues to unfold gracefully in the glass.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
There are a scant 100 cases of the 2017 Barolo, another pretty, medium-bodied, elegant wine offering textbook cherry, flowers, and cedary spice-driven aromas and flavors. It has some savory tannins, good balance, and outstanding length. Drink it any time over the coming 10-12 years, if not more.
We are working with the Franco Conterno family, an iconic and historic family in Barolo. their grape growing and winemaking philosophy is based on modern technology, tradition and a respect for the environment, three ideals that we uphold in high regard.
The Franco Conterno winery, cascina sciulun, is located in the hamlet of bussia di monforte d'alba in the heart of Barolo. They take care in organically farming their land with aeration of the soil and fertilization. the vineyards are managed with great attention to detail to ensure the highest quality fruit. The elegant and refined wines are produced with native fermentations, modern equipment and traditional practices.
Franco conterno is comprised of 18 hectares of vineyards located in the Barolo crus of Bussia, Pugnane and Panerole and the Madonna di como and Roero winegrowing areas.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.